Things That Should Have Been
by Ice-otter
Summary: Alanna was should have been a knight- so how is it that she ended up at convent? Thom was supposed to be a sorcerer- so why is he now the one at the palace? It is up to Alanna to decide her own fate- and to keep the queen of chaos from destroying her.
1. Chapter One

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Disclaimer: Alanna, Thom, and any other characters created by Tamora Pierce do not belong to me. Nor does the plot, I suppose: although I thought of it before I came to FanFiction.net, it has been done so many times I doubt it belongs to anyone.

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Summary: She was meant to be a knight, but the queen of chaos interfered. Now Alanna is struggling to become a lady at the convent, and Thom is having trouble with being a page at the palace. Will long years at the convent be able to turn Alanna from her path, or will she succeed in what she was meant to do- even if it is in a way different from what was planned?

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Author's Note: This was actually supposed to be a story about Daine's daughter, but I'm having trouble starting on that, and I wrote this instead. I've been wanting to write it for a long time, but was unable to, because of all the Tamora Pierce books, the only one I didn't own was Alanna: The First Adventure. Now, using it for reference, I am able to write this story, but it's been done so many times I doubt it will be any good. Please give it a try, if not for your reading pleasure, then in an attempt to give me feedback. Reviews are always appreciated, and thank you so much for reading. 

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Change of Fate, Chapter One:

Interference 

It had been a month since the twins had left Trebond. Lord Alan was at his desk, as usual, looking at a book. He looked up, startled and annoyed, when he heard the door to his study open and close, and saw a young man standing before him, a messenger of some type, with a letter in his hand. "It's from the palace, Lord Trebond," he said quickly, his voice nervous. "From Duke Gareth. Him that's in charge of training the pages. I don't know what it's about-"

"Thank you," Alan said shortly. "You may go." The man put the letter on his desk, and left the room. Alan scanned the page one more time, and then put down the book he was holding. The letter was brief, a single paragraph. He read it quickly.

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Lord Alan of Trebond:

Your presence is requested at the palace at once. It seems that there has been some deception on the part of your children, Alanna and Thom of Trebond. Apparently Alanna was supposed to go to convent, but she disguised herself as a boy, and switched places with her brother, who I believe is now in the City of the Gods, learning sorcery. Alanna tells me that you had no part in this, indeed, that you sent Alanna to the convent and Thom to the palace. If this is true, I believe it is your duty as their father to bring Thom to the palace and Alanna to the convent.

Duke Gareth of Naxen

Alan read the letter again, more carefully. He had never like Gareth, but the man had no reason to lie to him. The letter sounded exactly like him- and exactly like Alanna. It would have been her idea, of course. Thom would have followed along: he had always wanted to be a sorcerer, but he would never take the initiative to say so to anyone but his twin. Lord Alan sighed. The Duke Gareth was right. He would have to leave his study and go bring them back to the places where they belonged. It was only his duty. He did not notice a small creature, cloaked in shadow, watching him. 

***

Duke Gareth called Alanna to his study after she had been at the palace for a little more than a month. She was worried as she entered, but even more so when she saw who was inside- her father! "I don't understand," Duke Gareth was saying. "I never sent such a letter."

"Yet you say there is a boy here who claims to be my son yet who calls himself Alan. I have no son by that name."

"Well we will find out the truth when he- or she- arrives." He saw her waiting at the door. "Alan, come in. This man is your father?" She nodded, confused. "Is your name truly Alan of Trebond?" When she said nothing, he asked. "Or is it, as your father claims, Alanna?" She nodded again, miserably. How had they found out? Her disguise had been working so well. "Lord Alan claims that I sent him a letter claiming that you _were _Alanna, and yet I had no idea at the time. Do you know anything about this?"

She shook her head. "No, your Grace."

Her father fished something out of this pocket and handed it to the duke. He read it over once, and then gave it back to Alanna's father. "I've never seen this before in my life. Who would be impersonating me?" 

"I've no idea, your Grace, but the fact remains. This is not Thom, or Alan, as she calls herself, but Alanna. It is my duty to take her to the convent, where she belongs, and to bring Thom here. I hope your Grace doesn't mind."

"I do not believe it was right of him- her- to deceive you, but she has done well here. If she were a boy, I would be sorry to see her go." _If she were a boy._ How many times had Alanna heard that statement? She held back the fury she felt, knowing it would get her nowhere. 

"She is not a boy, and she belongs in the convent. Come, Alanna." She followed him obediently, raging on the inside. "I must get her to the convent as soon as possible. I will be back for Coram." He turned again to his daughter. "And please tell me he had no part in this. Although how you would manage to trick him-"

"He knew nothing about it father," said Alanna, looking to the duke for help. He owed Coram his life. Surely he would not be unwilling to help him now. "We rarely see each-other, since I'm a page and he's a part of the palace guard these days."

Hiding a smile under his hand, Duke Gareth said, "She is right. He'd hardly have time to realize something was amiss." Alanna smiled at him gratefully, and followed her father out the door. She wished there was time to say goodbye to the boys she had thought of as friends during her short stay: Prince Jonathan, the leader of their group; Gary, the duke's son, who was her sponsor; big, friendly Raoul; quiet Alex, who had helped her with mathematics; and Francis, who she didn't know very well but seemed nice. But that was not to be. The convent was a long way away, and her father wanted to get there as quickly as possible. The tiny shadow-creature, which seemed to have followed Lord Alan from Trebond, smiled as they left. 

***

The convent looked like a prison from the first time she saw it, when she and her father reached it several days later. Lord Alan had quickly explained the situation to the First Daughter, given her several gold pieces in apology. Before he left, he told Alanna: "Any more trouble out of you, and by Mithros, I will disown you. Stay here, and don't cause mischief." And he had left Alanna standing alone, still in riding clothes, her hair still cut short from her days at the palace, in front of the First Daughter. She was a tall woman, with long dark hair streaked with gray pulled back into a tight knot at the back of her head. Her dress, although elegant, was a garment made rather for usefulness than beauty: comfortable, easy to walk in, and warm. In a way, she reminded Alanna of Duke Gareth. This was not a woman to cross. 

"So your are Alanna of Trebond."

"Yes, your Gra- I mean, yes First Daughter."

"I heard most of your story from your father. You wanted to be a knight. I do not believe that girls who do not want to be ladies will become well-mannered ones. I know that your father is paying for you to stay here, but it is almost impossible to teach those who do not want to learn. If you are to be allowed to live at this convent, you must apply yourself. If you do not want to be a lady, then pretend you do. I can not make you like this, but I can make you leave if you are not acting like you do. I want you to fit in here." Alanna decided she like this woman. She did not like what she was saying- it would be almost as hard to pretend to be like the other girls who came here as it would to actually _be _one of them- but she was right. It was hard to teach someone who didn't want to learn. And if she did not like it here, she could at least do well. Be better than everyone else. It couldn't be that hard to learn- could it? Whatever happened, she couldn't go home. Her father had said he would disown her- and she believed him. It felt a little cowardly now, but there was nothing she could do. And she had to stay at the convent.

"I will apply myself, First Daughter."

"Good. Now, here at the convent, we usually have an older girl show a new girl around. A sponsor, so to speak."

'Like at the palace!' Alanna almost said, but stopped herself. 

"Delia!" The First Daughter called to a pretty, brown-haired girl who was walking toward them. "Alanna, this is Delia of Eldorne. She will be the one to show you around. Delia, this is Alanna of Trebond. She not acted quite- as a young lady should in the past, and I trust you can help her fit in here, as you are such a good student." Delia blushed at the compliment, and turned toward Alanna, looking at her curiously as she took in the younger girl's dress and short red hair. "If you would like to hear her story, perhaps you can ask her some day. Now why don't you show her to where the new girls sleep."

Delia nodded. "Come with me, Alanna. I hope you will like it here. When you're new, you sleep in dormitories- with about five other girls. When you turn thirteen, if you're doing well in all your classes, you'll get your own room. I don't have mine yet- I'm only eleven. Almost twelve." Alanna didn't know what to say in reply, so she simply kept silent. Around her, the convent walls were gray and drab. Again she thought of a prison. "Here's your room," Delia said, as they reached a door, small and wooden, with the number _38 _painted on it in black. "Remember the number: thirty-eight. If you get lost, say you're staying in room thirty-eight. You've come in late, so all the other girls who will be sleeping there are probably already here." The older girl opened the door, and Alanna stepped inside.

"Err- thank you for showing me to my room," she said, feeling that Delia deserved some gratitude. Although talkative, she was friendly, and hadn't been cruel to Alanna because of her past. Of course, she didn't really know what that was. 

"Your welcome. Now why don't you get changed and wash up? You can't go to lessons looking like that! They start in the morning, but you can start during the second half. You can just get settled in. I'll give you a pass to explain why you're late." She walked out of the room, and soon was back with a small, silvery object. "This is the pass. Just show it to the teachers and they'll know you're new. They'll even give you directions, if you ask." Alanna nodded. "Well, I have to go. Lunch is soon. Remember, just show that pass to anyone and they'll give you directions. You'll have to have it memorized soon enough, though." When she opened her trunk, expecting to see her things from the palace inside, she discovered her father had packed several of her dresses from Trebond. She sighed. _Better get used to them now_, she thought, and changed into the one on top, and uncomfortable-looking thing that she had never worn before, made almost completely out of lace. As she washed her face in a low basin at the other end of the room, she heard someone else come in.

"_Alan_?" A female's voice asked, and she turned. A large, dark-haired girl, who looked very familiar, was standing behind her. "But- you're a _girl_!" 

"Umm…" she replied, extremely confused.

"Sorry, but my cousin wrote me about this boy who was a page- and he looked exactly _like_ you. Red hair, purple eyes, everything. My cousin's a page, too. Raoul of Goldenlake. I'm Rose of Goldenlake. You must be the new girl."

"I know Raoul!"

"You _do_? But-"

"Well, actually-" said Alanna uncomfortably; "I _am _Alan. I disguised myself as a boy- switched places with my twin brother. I was a page at the palace until my father caught me. But- don't tell anyone. The First Daughter wants me to fit in, and-" Alanna stopped, wondering exactly why she _did_ want it to be kept secret. 

"Don't worry, I won't. But you wanted to be a _page_! That might be fun. I wish I were as brave as you were. Except I don't have a twin brother. And Raoul knows exactly who I am." _I wonder if everyone is as talkative as Delia and Rose, _Alanna thought to herself. Somehow she doubted it. She had always imagined 'proper' girls at the convent to be quiet and distant, and she still imagined them that way. It seemed to be a coincidence that the first two girls she met were different. She grinned at Raoul's cousin.

"It would have been nice to have another girl there."

Rose grinned back. "Come on, it's lunchtime. I'll show you were we can get food." She followed the girl outside. "It'll be fun having you as a roommate." Somehow, this made Alanna feel better about the place. At least she had one friend. 

It was a long way from room thirty-eight to the place where they ate lunch. Alanna might have been tired if she hadn't just gone through a month of harsh physical training. Rose looked completely unaffected by the long walk. They reached a door marked _Dining Room,_ which Rose opened to reveal a long line of girls of all ages, waiting patiently for their food. "You go ahead," Rose whispered, "I'm not that hungry, I'll be behind you." Alanna took her place in line, attracting the attention of the girl in front of her. She gave Alanna a scornful look, and then turned to whisper something to the girl in front of _her._ Both of them turned back around. 

"So you're the new girl," the first one said. She had dark blond hair that had been arranged in an elaborate style, and huge, blue-green eyes that looked Alanna over, sizing her up. Finally, she spoke again. "Elliva of Greenpoint. And you are…?"

"Alanna of Trebond." 

"Trebond. I haven't heard of it. Who- Is that _Goldenlake_ behind you? What possessed you to stand near _her_?"

Alanna met the girl's gaze. "Rose is my friend. She is showing me around," she replied calmly.

The girl in front of Elliva twisted so that she faced Alanna. Imperious looking, with dark hair and a cat's yellow-green eyes, she reminded Alanna somewhat of Alex of Tirragen. "Goldenlake is your _friend_?" she repeated haughtily. Alanna nodded, trying to keep her temper in check. "No she is not your friend. I'm sorry, but Goldenlake is no one's friend. You are not to talk to her, and she is not to speak to you."

"I'm sorry, but I'll do what I please," Alanna replied angrily, wondering who this girl thought she was.

The girl just looked at her. "Do you _know _who you are talking to?" she said finally. "I'm surprised Goldenlake failed to tell you. I am Lady Eirenna of Galla, cousin to her most royal Highness, the Princess of Galla. And you will not do what you please. If you want to stay here, you will do what I tell you. And what Elliva tells you. You will go nowhere near Goldenlake again. Goldenlake, go to the end of the line." Meekly, Rose obeyed- she walked to the end of the trail of girls that had formed behind them while they were talking. Alanna watched her go. How dare this girl boss her around like this! "If you want to get anywhere in convent, you will not associate with people like Goldenlake. She is simply not ladylike." Alanna said nothing, as fury built inside of her. She had been right. Girls like Rose and Delia were not common here. "Now: apologize for your earlier comment about doing what you please, and you will be allowed to sit with us." _I want you to fit in here,_ the First Daughter had said. Sitting with these girls would mean fitting in. But sitting with them would mean apologizing, and that was something her pride would never allow her to do.

"Why in the name of all the gods would I want to sit with the likes of _you_?" she said, in her most scornful voice, and stalked off to the back of the line to join Rose. "Why did you listen to them?" She asked the large girl.

"They'll make life miserable for me if I don't. I _hate _them." Alanna's friend hit the wall. "Eirenna's not even _from _Galla, she's from a fief near mine. She just pretends she is, to get more friends. And everyone _listens_ to her- I'm not allowed to talk to you, I'm sorry- Why are you back here?"

"_'Lady'_ Eirenna said I had to apologize for sticking up for you and saying I would do what I pleased, so I went back here."

"But- you shouldn't have done that- you could have been friends with them! Now I've ruined everything for you."

Alanna felt a sudden surge of pity for the outcast girl. "It's alright- I'd much rather be your friend than theirs. They're _horrible!_"

When Rose looked at her again, her eyes were filled with relief. "Thank you!" she whispered. 

"Just one thing," Alanna said. "Don't do whatever they tell you. It will just make them think you're easier to bully." She remembered her own bully trouble, back at the palace: Ralon of Malven had decided her didn't like her on the very first day. Luckily, she'd had her friends there to help her. Now all of them were very far away. She sighed. She missed the palace, but she had no choice. She had probably ruined her chance to be popular here at the convent, but she decided that was a good thing. How could anyone want to impress girls like _those_? All in all, she was happy with what she had accomplished here so far. It was Thom she was worried for, who had absolutely no skill for the fighting arts, and who hated them to boot. Alanna felt something was not right about her father's finding out about the switch. Now was the time to ponder the letter that the Duke Gareth said he hadn't written. Who else but Thom, Coram, and Maude knew about the switch? Had it been one of them? Or was there something going on that she didn't know about?

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Endnote: So there's the end of chapter one. I hope you liked it, and didn't find it to unoriginal. Reviews, apart from giving me feedback, will give you something as well: chapter two, in which we will see how Thom fares in Corus. Thanks again for reading, and again, I hope this was enjoyed.


	2. Chapter Two

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_Disclaimer:_ Alanna, Thom, and any other characters created by Tamora Pierce do not belong to me. Nor does the plot, I suppose: although I thought of it before I came to FanFiction.net, it has been done so many times I doubt it belongs to anyone.

_Summary:_ She was meant to be a knight, but the queen of chaos interfered. Now Alanna is struggling to become a lady at the convent, and Thom is having trouble with being a page at the palace. Will long years at the convent be able to turn Alanna from her path, or will she succeed in what she was meant to do- even if it is in a way different from what was planned?

_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed.  I'm really grateful for all your comments, and it was only your reviews that kept this story going.  This chapter is for you.  If you are reading this story for the first time, thank you very much for doing so, and please review, so I can tell what you thought of it.   ___

_Reviewers:_

Daine- Special thanks to you, as the first reviewer of this story, and I'm glad you liked it.

Googlepuss- Thank you for reviewing, and for recommending the other fics.  I haven't read all of them yet, but the ones I have read so far are very good.  

Angelgirl914- Thank you!  I really like to here that this is original, because I was very worried when I first started that it wouldn't be.

Tarilenea- _Thank you!  Actually, this is my favorite out of all the ones I have written as well.  Because there are so many of these, it's really hard to create an original one, and so I'm so glad that people are reading and reviewing this.  About Delia- I don't know what I'm going to do with her.  I've read really interesting stories in which she was nice, or in which she was the main character, that made me think about her, and why she's the way she is.  I don't know whether she's going to become evil or not, but she is going to be a major part of the plot._

LadySatine- Thanks!  Sorry I've taken so long to update- I was having a really hard time writing this chapter.

Cobweb- I'm glad you thought so.  Delia and Alanna will not be 'bestest buddies,' don't worry, I just probably won't have her become evil right away.  And definitely, whether she becomes evil or not, she will become very important to the plot.

George's #1 Fan aka A.M.- Don't worry, George will show up in this, just not right away.  I do plan to make it Alanna/George, and I'm glad you liked it.

Sarai-IceElf- Thanks!  I'm really glad you liked it.

genevieve & lady cinderbella- Thank you both!  I'm glad you liked it, and I'm sorry I took so long to update.

_Change of Fate, Chapter Two:_

_Mistake_

The Great Mother Goddess worshiped Tortall and the Eastern and Southern lands, slammed her fist into the table that suddenly appeared where there had been no table before.  "What happened?" she asked the small, violet-eyed kitten who crouched at her side.  "It wasn't supposed to be this way!  She was supposed to go to Corus, become a page, become a knight-"

_You know the gods cannot control the destinies of mortals, the kitten said.  To anyone else, its voice would have sounded like a series of growls, meows, and purrs, but the Goddess seemed to understand well enough._

"Of course I know!" she replied, turning to glare at the kitten.  "I cannot _control_ her destiny at all. All the same, this was _not supposed to happen!_  You know _that as well as I do."_

_Something went wrong, the kitten agreed.  _The letter._  __The one the Duke Gareth did not send, and yet it was received all the same._

"The letter," the Goddess mused.  "I was not watching the goings on at Trebond at the time it was received.  I do not know-" A small basin of water materialized on the table.  The Goddess concentrated on it, willing it to show her the even she spoke of.  Yes, there was Lord Alan, a messenger giving him the letter… Green eyes moved from the man reading the parchment to a small corner of the room, where a shadow appeared when the lighting made no shadow possible.  She waved her hand, and the time that the image represented moved back.  The shadow-cloaked figure again appeared, and there was the self-same messenger who had given the letter to Lord Alan, accepting something from Duke Gareth.  Unnoticed by either of the two men, the shadow figure slipped the letter out of the messenger's pack to replace it with another that, from the outside, looked identical.  But the Goddess knew that the words on the inside were very different indeed.

"Uusoae," the she whispered.  "This mistake will be harder to correct than I would have thought."

                                                                                ***

Alanna awoke, sweating.  She'd had a dream that she was back at the palace, and that everyone had found out that she was a girl.  Remembering where she was, she winced- her situation now was easily just as bad as the dream's had been.  In the bed next to hers, Rose stirred, and then quieted.  Alanna slipped out of the uncomfortable bed, whose sheets were covered in bows and lace, and tiptoed to the window.  It was still dark, and the moon shone brightly overhead.  Somehow, she couldn't go back to sleep.  She stayed at the window, watching the sky, until the loud crash of nearby thunder made her jump back.  _Strange, for this time of year, she thought, watching the rain that had begun to fall after the first clap of thunder, and the lighting that accompanied it.  A month now, she'd been at convent, and at every turn, the girl who now seemed to be her rival, Eirenna, had made life miserable for her.  _It could be worse, _Alanna thought, smiling.  __It isn't as if I am the only one who stands up to her and her gang.  Not even just me and Rose, anymore._

In the small amount of time she had been here, several of the girls who had been unable to speak up before voiced their dislike of the girl who had made their lives miserable ever since they came to the convent.  Alanna's group now rivaled Eirenna's, for although she had made herself the leader of all the younger girls at convent, there were a number who remained neutral, and stayed in both her favor and Alanna's.    

The red-haired girl looked again at the rain, and saw something odd.  A small, dark shape, dragging itself along the ground.  _What in the names of all the gods is _that?  Alanna wondered, opening the window and peering out.  Ignoring the rain that soaked into her hair and nightgown, she leaned down, trying to look closer.  The small figure gave a small, moaning mew, and Alanna realized what it was- a tiny black kitten, wandering alone in the storm.  Abandoning all thoughts of staying in the safe, warm, bedroom, she slipped into the riding boots she had come in, hidden deep away at the bottom of her drawer, and raced outside into the storm.  She found the cat easily enough for it's wailing, and picked it up, turning back inside and drying the animal off on her nightgown.  It was when she was back inside the bedroom, making carefully sure that none of the girls had seen her leave, that she noticed that the kitten's eyes were bright purple.  "Great Merciful Mother," she whispered, making the sign against evil on her chest.  What _was_ this creature?  

Looking down at the kitten, she decided that that was all it was: a very small cat with strange eyes.  They were, after all, only the same color as her own.  Relaxing, she became aware of a new difficulty.  The girls here weren't allowed to have pets.  What would happen if she was caught?  _I won't be.  She told herself.  _I'll set it free as soon as the storm's over.  And of it's not over by morning, then… I'll hide the kitten till it is.  Only… I wonder what it was doing out there in the first place.  It obviously can't take care of itself, or else it wouldn't have gotten caught in the storm.  _Taking off her boots and settling back into bed, she decided, _I'll sleep on it.__

                                                                                    ***                        

She awoke the next morning to a shrill scream.  Sitting bolt upright in bed, she looked around her and gasped.  The room was a complete mess.  Drawers had been opened everywhere, and clothes had been scattered all about the room.  The curtains on the windows were in tatters, and the floor had even been soiled during the night.  The screamer was one of her roommates- a thin, brown-haired girl who Alanna had dislike on sight.  Apparently, the girl had felt the same way, and had joined Eirenna and her friends in tormenting Alanna.  The cause of the scream was not only the state of the room, but the fact that a very small, purple-eyed kitten was sitting on her chest, staring at her impudently.  "Oh no," Alanna breathed.  What was she to do?  Admit that she had let the cat in and be expelled from the convent and disowned by her father?  Or lie, and let one of her roommates be wrongly accused, and punished in the same fashion that she would have been?

Before she could decide, the door to the room opened, and, apparently summoned by the scream, one of the sisters appeared.  Alanna had seen Sister Lesia before, and did not dislike her- she taught the girls in the convent the playing of a musical instrument, and seemed very passionate about her subject.  Thinking fast, Alanna fell back down on her pillow, pretending to be asleep, and giving herself more time to decide what to do.

"What is this?" she heard the woman ask.  "Did one of you do this- Oh."  Alanna decided that at this point she had seen the cat perched on top of the girl.  Alanna cracked one eye open.  Sister Lesia picked the kitten up, and her voice took a softer note.  "I'm sure you know of the rule that you are not allowed to have pets, and I can't believe that this creature belongs to any one of you.  I will find it a home somewhere, and in the meantime, why don't one of you girls find a servant to clean all of this up.  It's early, so I'm sure we can find you some clothes that aren't dirty before the morning meal begins."  Alanna gave a mental sign of relief.  She was safe.  No one would be blamed, and the kitten would find a home.  She sat up in her bed, pretending to awaken for the first time, yawning and stretching and looking around her with feigned surprise.  She winked at Rose, and mouthed, 'I'll tell you later,' before asking, "What happened?"     

Apparently luck was not with Alanna that day.  The small, violet-eyed kitten had found her before breakfast was over.  She blinked and then moaned as she saw it enter the dining room, and pad over to her table, where she sat with Rose, and several of the other girls who had become their friends.  Rose, who had heard the story on the way to the morning meal, grinned at Alanna, who made a face.  The other girls, especially those who were not Alanna's roommates, looked confused.  Rose explained to them briefly, as Alanna picked the kitten up, and dumped it outside the room. In a few minutes, it was back.  The other girls began to notice.  Again Alanna picked the kitten up, and dumped it outside.  The room was filled with rustles and murmurs as the other girls watched Alanna's antics.  Finally, one of the sisters noticed.

"Why is this…_animal inside the building?"  Unlike Sister Lesia, Sister Layeen was not fond of cats.  "Someone, take it outside immediately.  Whoever is responsible for this will pay dearly."  Alanna flinched.  It was Delia of Eldorne, the girl who had been her sponsor for the first weeks, who saved her.  _

"Perhaps, Sister Layeen, the cat is the pet of one of the young sorcerers, and has merely gotten lost.  We should return him to his owner."  During the first few days, Delia had been friendly and talkative, always cheerful, and Alanna couldn't help feeling happy around her as well.  But it seemed that, some time during Alanna's first day at the convent, she had had a talk with sister Layeen, who was in charge of discipline at the convent.  The woman had told her that her behavior was unladylike, and although it had been acceptable, if not desirable, during her first year, it was no longer that way.  It was time for her to become proper and demure, and to do so, she must consider what came out of her mouth before it did so.  She had been told that she could not talk unless she had thought out the words she wanted to say several times over before she said so.  Abashed, she had apologized to Sister Layeen, and done as she had asked.  Alanna had seen none of this, but such was the gossip at the convent that an hour after Delia had walked out of Layeen's room, the entire place knew every detail of their meeting.

Now Delia, though still friendly, was much more quiet and reserved, and it seemed to Alanna that she showed a sadness that had not been exhibited before.  She wished she could get to know the older girl better, but they rarely saw each other.  Now, Alanna grinned at the girl who, knowingly or not, had saved her from punishment.  The other grinned back, a small smile that was barely noticeable.  _She does__ know! Alanna thought, surprised.  Sister Layeen left a relieved Alanna, an almost smug Delia, and a convent full of shocked and confused girls. _

Alanna left the dining room smiling, but her relief vanished as she returned to the bedroom to find the cat perched on her bed, with a look that was easily as smug as Delia's had been.

                                                                                   ***

Thom was truly miserable.  He had never been this miserable in his life.  The other boys weren't truly mean, except for Ralon of Malven, who had bullied his sister, and now chose to bully him, but the weapon-work was exceptionally hard. He felt relieved that the other classes came easily to him; otherwise he would have been too tired from practicing with weapons all day to complete any of his assignments.  

When the sweating fever struck, it was almost a welcome relief.  He was given a break from his regular duties to fill positions that had normally been occupied by servants, who were now struck down by the fever.  They were the first to fall, then the nobles, and finally, as the first deaths occurred, the pages and squires.  Duke Gareth fell to the sickness, early on.  The queen fell ill, but did not die.  She made a recovery of a sort, although it was rumored that she was still tremendously weak.  The biggest shock came at the death of Prince Jonathan, the only son of King Roald and Queen Lianne, and heir to the Tortallan throne died.  The pages and squires who had been his friends were miserable for a time; and some took ill themselves.  Raoul of Goldenlake, a boy who was a few years older than Thom, and had been one of the Prince's closest friends, died not long after he did.  Thom remembered that Alanna had written that his cousin was her friend at the convent: she had known the Prince as well, and would be saddened at his death.

Finally the fever died away, leaving the King and Queen heartbroken, and Corus in a state of panic.  It was said the Queen was unable to bear any more children, and Jonathan had been her only son. Thom hardly cared.  The only way in which the fever affected him in the long run was that when Duke Gareth died, the pages and squires were in need of a new training master.  The solution came in the form of the King's nephew: the handsome, popular Duke Roger of Conte.  A great sorcerer, he was immediately welcomed by all the residents of the Palace, and the King said he only wished that the Duke had come sooner: perhaps he could have dealt with the sickness better than the palace healers, who had been unnaturally drained by it.  Only Thom had misgivings, but he confessed them to no one, except with hints in letters to his twin.  With the Prince gone, he realized, Roger was next in line for the throne.  As a powerful sorcerer, it would have been easy for him to send the sickness to destroy Tortall's only heir and all close to him.      

And he told no one. He did not need to worry: he had not been close to the Prince, and would not be a problem in Roger's plans, if those were indeed what they were.  But he felt that something was wrong.  It should have been Alanna in his place.  If she were here, than none of this would be happening.  She would have told someone, at least- and Thom could not work up the courage to.  Besides, what good would it do?  No one would believe him and he had no proof.  This was Alanna's place.  He saw movement in the shadows, some being cloaked in darkness, but when he looked again, it was gone.  He dismissed it as a trick of the light. 

                                                                                        ***

The kitten would not leave Alanna alone.  Eventually, she dubbed him 'Faithful,' and when the sisters were done scolding her, decided to keep him, hiding him deep under her things during the day, where he stayed put after finally learning that she would be in trouble if he did not.

Some time later, the letter came from the palace.  Rose was the first to get the news.  Alanna found her weeping on her bed.  When asked what was wrong, she simply replied, "Raoul," and would say nothing more.  Going to her own bed, Alanna found there a folded letter there, and opened it.  It was from Thom.  She read:

_Dearest Alanna_

_I hope I find you well, and I hope the news I have will not upset you too much.  A while ago, the sweating fever came to Corus.  I am not sure if you have yet heard this news.  Man of the people here are dead, including Duke Gareth, the Lord Provost, several of the squires and pages, and most importantly, the Prince Jonathan himself. _

_Our new training master is Duke Roger of Conte, a powerful sorcerer and the late Prince's cousin.  He is going to teach the Gifted, so perhaps I will receive a training in sorcery after all, although not as good of a one as if our father had not found us out.  I wish that you were here, and I was there.  Most likely, you would be much happier, although with the recent deaths, it is hard to tell.  _

_I wish I had better news for you, and I wish that I could make this letter longer.  As it is, I have much work here, as I am sure you are aware, and it is hard to keep up with everything.  I hope your time at the convent is not too horrible, and please keep me informed on the doings of your cat._

_Oh yes- one of the dead was the cousin of your friend.  Raoul of Goldenlake was his name.  You can tell her, if she has not already received the news._

_Your loving brother,_

_Thom._

So that was the cause for Rose's sadness.  She glanced over the letter again.  The Duke Gareth dead- the Prince- the Provost.  And the new training master.  A powerful sorcerer, and the Prince's cousin- wouldn't that make him heir?  She couldn't help jumping to conclusions.  She had heard of the sickness, heard that it was created by magic, and that it drained healers as no sickness should.  She shivered in spite of herself.

A sniffle made her remember a more significant problem.  "Rose- are you all right?  I read what happened in a letter from my brother-"

"I'm all right, I suppose."  Rose sniffled again and looked up from her pillow.  "It's not _right_ somehow.  I wouldn't be so sad if- it doesn't seem like it was _supposed _to happen.  He should still be alive.  Your brother is still alive- why isn't Raoul?"  Alanna nodded sadly. If she had been at the palace- she had never wanted to admit the presence of her healing Gift.  But Raoul had been her _friend.  If he had taken ill, and she had been there, perhaps she could have healed him.  And the Prince as well.  But she hadn't.  Rose was right.  Somehow, what happened didn't seem like it had been supposed to.  She should be thankful that Thom wasn't dead, but like his sister, he had never been sick in his life, and probably never would be.  "He's not afraid of using his Gift," she told Faithful grumpily as she walked to her least-favorite class.  "He should have helped to heal the sick.  It isn't fair."_

_You're right.  It's not.  It wasn't supposed to happen, but things are turning out differently than they are supposed to.  _

Alanna looked at the small cat.  Lately, the noises that to everyone else sounded like normal cat noises had come to sound like talking.  She had never heard the cat sound as mysterious as he did now, however.  

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

_Something is interfering with fate.  And it's going to affect you, so you should remember it.  Faithful clawed his way onto her shoulder, where he had taken to sitting when nobody could see.  _Interfering with fate is a dangerous thing to do,_ he said, claws digging into her neck as he made himself comfortable.  __Whoever did it, it's going to come back to haunt them, and they're going to wish they hadn't._

_Endnote: I hope you liked this chapter.  It had less of Thom's doings than I thought, but oh well, it was still a chapter.  Please review so you can find out what happens next, and I'm really sorry that I took so long to update.  Thanks again to all the wonderful people who reviewed the last chapter, and to all the wonderful people who are reading this chapter and are going to review it when they are done._


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